Agenda

Symposium: 'Tackling Violence against Women and Girls in the EU: Educating, Empowering, Protecting and Prosecuting'

Conference

Date

Thursday 22nd of November 2018 - Monday 22nd of October 2018

Description

Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a global epidemic of alarming proportions. It is estimated that at least one in three women around the world will experience physical or sexual violence during their life (World Health Organisation). According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), 55% of women in the EU have experienced sexual harassment and one in three since as young as the age of 15 (FRA, 2014). 85.8% of victims of sexual violence in the EU are female (Eurostat & the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2017).

Entered into force in 2014, the Istanbul Convention constitutes the most comprehensive binding international treaty combating Violence against Women (VAW). While all EU Member States have signed it, to date there remain nine member states that still have not ratified the Istanbul Convention. In the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, 2017 has been a year of focused actions dedicated to ending VAW. Throughout the year the Commission made concerted efforts to engage with various stakeholders to raise the profile of the issue. Such initiatives include the launch of the “NON.NO.NEIN” social media campaign aiming to share information and support, engage and connect all stakeholders in combating VAW. Moreover, in December 2017 the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Council of Europe and UN Women issued a joint communiqué confirming their commitment to work together towards establishing a global alliance to eradicate Violence against Women and Girls by the end of 2018.

Despite the commitment from various agencies to increase their efforts to eliminate VAWG, more needs to be done. In recent years the proliferation of information on the cyber domain and the widespread use of social media have added a whole new dimension to violence against women and girls, resulting in Cyber VAWG. It is estimated that one in ten women have already experienced a form of cyber violence since the age of 15 (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2017). Even though the European Commission has undertaken actions to address the current lack of data quantifying the prevalence of cyber violence, legal frameworks are not yet clearly defined. Developing strategies to address the issue must continue to be a policy priority.

This International Symposium will provide a timely opportunity to discuss how to best strengthen efforts, monitor and evaluate the progress made and promote examples of good practice for preventing and combating violence against women and girls. It will also facilitate the exchange of ideas and encourage delegates to engage in thought-provoking and topical debate with local and regional practitioners and policy makers at EU level.

Delegates will:

Examine the current legislative framework for tackling gender-based violence in the EU

Understand the importance of the EU member states’ ratification of the Istanbul Convention